As a former Air Force enlisted security forces K9 handler and a former Army chemical specialist, Mustafa and Ellen Browne said when they got out of the military they had no idea how to start or run a business of their own.
Now the husband and wife veterans are the proud owners of JDog Carpet Cleaning Williamsburg, providing services to residents and businesses from Richmond to Chesterfield County, including all of James City County and York County.
JDog Carpet Cleaning Williamsburg is the couple’s very own franchise as part of national franchise, JDog, a veteran and military family-owned and operated company that trains and encourages veteran entrepreneurs.
“It’s a ton of support and that’s kind of what you’re used to when you’re in the military, you always have that support behind you,” Ellen said.
After leaving the Air Force in 2016, Mustafa said he’d gone on to become a deputy with the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office for a couple of years until “a friend lit a fire for me.”
That’s when he decided he wanted to start a small business but didn’t know what he wanted to do nor how to do it until attending a JDog “Discovery Day” last August. The couple credited their military service experience for their ability to start their business up just a month later.
“I think [the military] did prepare us because we’re adaptable,” Ellen said. “Any job you give us we’re going to just do it and get it done.”
For now, Mustafa does most of the cleaning and operations while Ellen manages the appointment scheduling and back office but they both said they hope to grow the business to accomplish the JDog mission of hiring veterans.
The couple and their three children live in New Kent. She said for them, the company and their military service run in the same vein.
“That’s our goal…to serve our customers the way we served our country and that’s with respect, integrity, and trust,” Ellen said. “It takes a lot of trust for people to let you into their homes, into their private spaces, and we take that really seriously…being able to serve those people.”
For more information or to book an appointment with JDog Carpet Cleaning Williamsburg, click here.
